Annie Palazzolo (left) and her father Paul Boken lost family member Megan Boken (inset) when a thug murdered her for her iPhone. Photo: Gregory P. Mango

A Manhattan woman whose sister was murdered over her brand-new iPhone joined local officials Monday to back a proposed federal law that would mandate “kill switch’’ technology in all smartphones to deter similar thefts.

“As a New York City resident, where smartphones account for more than 20 percent of all robberies, I’m acutely aware of how widespread this problem has become,” said Annie Palazzolo, 29, a lawyer.

In 2012, Palazzolo’s younger sister, Megan Boken, was killed by a teenage thug who demanded her iPhone at gunpoint and shot her twice when she resisted. Boken, 23, was sitting in her car and using the phone to talk to her mom in St. Louis, Mo., at the time.

“The same device that makes us feel secure and connected also makes us a target for thieves, and this device cost Megan her life,” Palazzolo said.

Palazzolo was joined by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton at Schneiderman’s downtown office in backing the proposed legislation, which would require all smartphones to have the technology activated upon purchase.

If a phone is stolen, the owner would then be able to go online and remotely disable the device completely.

Schneiderman said the move would stop the surging “epidemic” of smartphone robberies.

“That would remove the incentive for anyone to steal a smartphone,” Schneiderman said.

He alleged that the industry has “dragged its feet” since officials and consumers began demanding action last year, adding that the theft of smartphones “is so common a crime, it has its own name: They call it ‘Apple Picking.’ ”

Leading manufacturer Apple’s “Activation Lock” — part of its latest iOS7 mobile operating system — currently works as a kill switch. But it must be turned on, rather than being automatically engaged once a phone is activated, according to Schneiderman’s office.

Bratton blasted smartphone manufacturers for not addressing the issue, saying, “Let’s be quite clear about this: The elephant in the room is once again corporate greed. Profit — that’s what this is all about.

“You’re making 30, 40, maybe 50 billion dollars a year on new phone sales, all the apps that have to be recreated, they’re making a fortune on this, and they don’t want to lose it. So shame on them,” he said.

Serrano’s district was the scene of a 2012 slaying in which aspiring chef Hwangbum Yang, 26, was shot in the chest while being robbed of his iPhone. Cops later found the device offered for sale on Craigslist for $400.

“There have been people hurt, there have been people killed, there have been people maimed because of the stealing of this,” Serrano said.

An Apple spokeswoman said the company “has led the industry in helping customers protect their lost or stolen devices.”